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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22818463">The Guessing Games</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MDST3559014/pseuds/MDST3559014'>MDST3559014</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:49:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,131</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22818463</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MDST3559014/pseuds/MDST3559014</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This takes place around ten years after Mockingjay, the last book in The Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss and Peeta’s daughter finds the scrapbook that Katniss made in remembrance for all those they lost during the games and due to the aftermath of the rebellion. There have not been official names released of their children but it was leaked that the author, Suzanne Collins, said that Katniss and Peeta’s daughter’s name was Willow and their son’s name was Rye.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Guessing Games</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was half-past two in the morning and Willow was woken up to the sound of her mother’s muffled cries. She hadn’t been woken up in a while by her mom but she thought nothing of it and tried to go back to sleep. The next hour was spent tossing and turning when Willow decided to crawl into bed with her brother Rye. This was a frequent occurrence but Rye didn’t mind, he had a sweet spot for his baby sister. Eventually, the cries of their mother became the equivalent of white noise and they both drifted off to sleep. </p><p>The next day was odd, something was in the air and a feeling of dread lived inside of Willow. Last night was not something she had experienced in a while; granted she was only eight and did not have the best memory. Rye assured her that everything was fine but she could not shake this feeling that something bad was going to happen. Little did she know that something terrible had already happened, it just happened over a decade ago. </p><p>Peeta got the kids dressed and made them breakfast as normal, but Katniss did not join them. It was not a good day. Her sister Prim died twelve years ago and Katniss never fully recovered from it. She had some good days, where she forgot the hell she had endured but they never lasted long. There was this ache in her chest that only her children could subdue. Katniss hasn’t told Willow why she cries herself to sleep some nights or wakes up crying in the middle of the night. Rye knew that his mom was sad because her sister died. Peeta explained to his son that Rye’s mom lost someone that was what Willow was to Rye. Of course, they didn’t understand, they were too young. What they did understand was that their mom was not happy all the time and that their dad tried hard to make up for it. </p><p>During the next few days, things started to feel normal again and Willow forgot that she was worried about her mom. The mornings faded into the afternoons and the two children spent their days living in worlds that didn’t exist and playing games only they could create. </p><p>It was the middle of the afternoon and all Willow wanted to do was play hide and go seek. So that is what they did. Rye closed his eyes and counted to twenty. Willow always lost to her older brother and was sure she would win this time. While Rye and Willow were playing inside, their parents were outside tending to the rose garden. Willow was convinced that her mom treated those flowers like a third child and could not figure out why. There was one place in the house that Willow never went, her mom’s closet. It was never explicitly banned from her or her brother, but it was never a place Willow wanted to be - inside the room where her mom was so sad. But if she wanted to win she had to pick a spot where Rye would never think to look, so the closet is where she ran. Willow quickly and silently ran into her mom’s closet and hid behind her long dresses in the corner. She sat on the floor and brought her knees to her chest wishing she could disappear. As each second flew by, Willow could almost taste victory. Rye almost always found her within minutes and Willow wasn’t sure how long she had been hiding, but it was long enough for her foot to fall asleep. She quietly stretched out her leg attempting to gain feeling back, when her foot hit a box. She could barely see in the closet due to the lack of light, but Willow fumbled around and eventually found the box with her hands. She did not know why her mother would have this old box at the bottom of her closet, but Willow always questioned her mom. The things she would do or say would sometimes not make any sense. Willow was now more curious about the contents of the box rather than beating Rye in a game of hide-and-go-seek. </p><p>Willow quietly exited the closet, box in hand, and made her way to the kitchen table. She knew she did not have a lot of time because her parents were merely a few feet away, outside, giving care to the extensive flowerbed. Willow quickly ripped the lid off of the box expecting to find a bunch of fine jewels or a secret treasure map. The imagination of an eight-year-old was virtually endless. But what waited inside was not a hidden treasure, but a leather-bound book. Willow was beyond confused and slowly flipped through the pages. The leather creaked open and the scent of time filled the room. Each page was unique and told a story, a story that Willow was unfamiliar with.</p><p>As Willow was lost in the book, Rye came into the kitchen and quickly ran to her thinking he won, yet again. When Rye approached he realized that Willow had something that she probably shouldn’t. They did not have a lot of books in their house and the ones that did have they were not allowed to play with. Willow eagerly showed her brother the book and asked him who he thought these people were and why mom had it in her closet. Before Rye could answer, Peeta and Katniss came inside from tending to their garden. </p><p>When Katniss saw what was laying on the kitchen table Peeta witnessed all of the color leave her face. Katniss hadn’t seen the scrapbook in years. When she and Peeta decided to make it, they promised that they would eventually tell their kids about what happened and how they got to where they are today. Katniss thought she would know when the right time was because she would finally be ready to tell her children the horrible history of how they all came to be. </p><p>Willow quickly ran to her mother asking her who these people were, and why they were in this book. Willow was always a very curious child. It was finally time for Katniss to talk about what had happened all those years ago. How Panem came to be and how it ended and how everything went horribly wrong. It was time to open up the wounds that had never really healed. Of course, Willow would not understand everything, but Rye was old enough to begin learning. Katniss sat her kids down and began to describe what life was like when she was eight years old. It would take time, but this was the beginning of Katniss finally closing a chapter of her life by opening another.</p>
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